The energy value chain is becoming more
complex as the global need for clean, reliable and affordable electricity continues
to grow. After all, electricity is the cornerstone to just about everything
billions of people worldwide do daily. For distribution operators to succeed in
today’s changing environment, the ability to adapt and optimise operations at
an ever-increasing rate is essential. The forward-thinking utility recognises
distribution optimisation as a critical enabler of next-generation distribution
grids, which are maximally efficient, reliable, and ultimately, sustainable.

Current challenges

Distribution operators face an ongoing
increase in grid complexity coupled with rising uncertainty due to changing
business and regulatory models. To protect business and improve results,
utilities must:

Powering improved optimisation with digital energy software

Distribution power analysis is the engine behind distribution optimisation.
Effective distribution power analysis calculates the operating state of the entire distribution network, filling in gaps in telemetry data visibility without operator intervention, and makes results available to view in both current and simulated network states. It delivers enhanced situational awareness for the distribution network, and provides not only visual information to the operators, but also the underlying data for many of the advisory and optimization features of an Advanced Distribution Management Solution (ADMS).

Several distribution management
applications can accelerate the utility’s journey to network-level
optimisation:

Distributed Power Flow (DPF): Enables
users to locate and calculate complex voltages at all nodes across the
distribution network as well as the power flow through all feeder segments. Customers
around the world have been able to generate estimated solutions very closely
matched with SCADA measurements, some calling it “pseudo telemetry.”

Fault Location,
Isolation & Service Restoration (FLISR): Locates
outage and recommends remediation or automatically sends sequence of switching
actions to isolate the fault and restore power. During a single event, one FLISR module implementation restored 2377
customers in 56 seconds.

Integrated Volt-Var
Control (IVVC): Harnesses reactive
power resources for improved voltage profiles,
demand and loss reduction. Throughout a single year one IVVC module
implementation delivered a MWh reduction of approximately 130,000, saving the
utility more than US $7 million.

Utilities are seeing positive outcomes.
Some highlights:

Up to 30 per cent additional
reduction in SAIFI over scripted automation programs

Up to 33 per cent reduction in
SAIDI attributed to having a single ADMS in place (combining the DMS and OMS)

Up to 3 per cent reduction in
voltage for greater network efficiency

Up to 30 per cent increase in
renewable exports onto the grid

Moving further forward with grid modelling

Ultimately, increased grid digitisation presents several opportunities operators can leverage via an ADMS. The network level optimisation the ADMS seeks to enable is also foundational to the grid modeling that can move utility modernisation even further forward.

Unsynchronized network models across multiple systems mean
more costs —
data entry,
maintenance
to
fix bad data, waiting for
timely data — as
well
as
negative
impacts on operational
performance, and often a
lag
in
deploying new technologies.
As utilities extend automation throughout their
network, integration with an accurate and up-to-date
network model
is
essential.

With an ADMS as the foundation for distribution optimisation, either in advisory or closed-loop mode (automation), utilities can model the network at all voltage levels and understand the impact of any
connected DERs. This type of single, shared and up-to-date network modeling of
all the utility’s real-world assets, including an accurate representation of
current state and connectivity, is critical.

A single network model
allows the ADMS to reduce data synchronisation issues and can increase outage management
efficiency,
improve
workflow, and provide an integrated view of the distribution gird from
which to plan, design, build, commission, operate, monitor, maintain, and
refurbish. Network-level transparency
offers utilities
the confidence needed to move to closed-loop control, which can ultimately lead to an
autonomous grid.

Key takeaway

Electric grids around the world must transform to perform and excel with increasing volumes of DER, new technology deployment trends, environmental concerns, weather patterns, regulatory requirements and changing consumer needs and engagement models.